Words and concepts often separate us into camps and limit connection and communication. This is especially true when we talk about spirituality and healing. As my friend Sarah and I worked to heal, we started to realize that we may all be talking about the same thing in different ways. What follows is our story of discovery.
I met Sarah in the waiting room of a physical therapy clinic that specialized in treating pelvic issues. Our therapist introduced us because we were both writing about our healing, both hoping that our experiences might help others who were hurting. Sarah and I are both analytical, and before our healing journeys we had not been open to anything we considered “woo-woo.” However, while working to move through pelvic pain, we both experienced healing we couldn’t easily explain. During these times, we experienced peace and joy, felt tingling sensations in our bodies, and received clear insights that were supportive and healing.
Seven years into my healing, I began working with people in chronic pain using the holistic bodywork and energy work that had helped me to heal, and Sarah was one of my first clients. When we started working together, she had suffered with pelvic pain for seven years and back pain from the age of thirteen. Her back and legs were stiff and tight; her core muscles were very weak, and she had poor posture.
During one of her sessions, Sarah’s neck and upper body began to move spontaneously. Her body automatically moved into specific positions which stretched and activated her muscles, and after about a minute or so, the tension would release and she would move into another position, pause, and release again. I had personally experienced and witnessed this type of movement, which is sometimes called unwinding in holistic bodywork circles.
“I can’t believe all this is happening with my body, while I’m alert and analyzing it,” Sarah observed. “It’s so interesting how my movements are accurately and effectively targeting lines of tension.”
After this session, Sarah began moving into a quiet state every day at home, and her body continued to unwind. As this was happening, she noticed that long-held areas of tension were letting go. When we met six months later, the change in her body was astounding. Without performing a traditional exercise program, her core muscles were strong, and she was much more flexible. Her posture had become so upright, she had gained two inches in height, and her standing desk at work had to be raised to accommodate the change.
Sarah and I use different words and concepts to describe our spiritual healing experiences. For example, she often refers to God or Jesus, and I am more apt to use words like energy and spirit. However, despite this difference, we both knew we were experiencing a similar type of opening/healing. Over the years, we continued having experiences that validated our unified perspective.
Soon after Sarah’s treatment, I was performing energy work with my son, when an unsolicited and surprising image of Jesus showed up in my mind’s eye. After this experience, I had many visions of being healed by Christ. When doing energy work with clients, spontaneous images of Jesus occasionally came in to my mind, and sometimes I would hear His voice or see gold or white light radiating from my hands. After all these experiences, I appreciated that Christ energy is healing energy, and it is especially present when we connect with another person with healing intentions, or we seek healing for ourselves.
When I told Sarah about this insight, she shared that she recently had a similar revelation. While she was praying and feeling connected with Jesus, she received a clear insight that yoga, meditation, energy work, and acupuncture, are all ways for someone to receive Christ's healing energy. Sarah and I both experienced that as our perspective/awareness expands, differences between spiritual paths fall away. What was once perceived as separate, merges into one.